Wind Spirit [Ella Clah 10] (27 page)

Carolyn tossed her a set of keys. “Take my car.”

“This isn’t what you charmingly call the ‘meat wagon,’ is it?” she asked, knowing that Carolyn had a warped sense of humor.

She laughed. “I considered that one, but I figured you aren’t in the right mood for black humor.”

“You’ve got that right. At the moment, what I’d really like to do is find the jackass that’s using me for target practice and throw him in a cell until he rots.”

“The keys I gave you are to my new Suburban,” Carolyn added. “Well, it’s not new, but it’s new to me. Treat it gently.”

“Thanks. I should be back in about an hour or so, okay? When I return can we talk? I need to ask you another favor.”

“You know where to find me.”

Ella called Hoskie to see if he was still at home. Apologizing for being late, she drove there quickly. He came out to meet her as soon as she pulled up.

“What took you so long? I thought maybe you’d changed your mind,” he said.

“No way.” She pointed to the bandage on her cheek. “I had a small accident.”

He waited for her to elaborate, but when she didn’t, he didn’t press. “What do you need from me?” he asked, leading her inside.

They sat around a small kitchen table, and he offered her a sandwich, which she declined, and some coffee, which she accepted.

“I need to ask you about George. I know he doesn’t socialize with his listeners, by and large, but who are George’s closest friends at the station?”

“He’s strictly business and doesn’t socialize with anyone there that I know of. My wife and I invited him for dinner once but he declined, saying that he preferred to keep his business and personal life separate.”

“What about when off the job? Do friends ever come visit him at the station or has he mentioned anyone specifically?”

“I don’t have the remotest idea who he associates with outside the station. When we leave work, he goes his way and I go mine.”

“One more important question,” Ella said. “This is completely off the record, okay?”

Hoskie nodded. “You want to know about Branch’s thousand-dollar offer, don’t you?”

“So he did make it?”

“Hell, he even offered me a finder’s fee if I could recommend someone. ‘A tracker,’ he said, ‘bloodhounds optional.’ ” Hoskie smiled grimly. “He was dead serious, and was even flashing some cash. I saw it myself. But you didn’t hear this from me.”

“Of course not. Do you know if he found someone?” Ella watched his eyes.

Hoskie looked right back at her. “I think he did. One of the station’s salesmen who goes bow hunting every season asked for the job but was turned down. George told him it was too late.” Hoskie put up his hand. “And before you ask, no, I don’t have any idea who it is, except they don’t work
at the station. Nobody’s taken any time off since then. I’d know.”

“Thanks for your help, Hoskie.”

“I couldn’t have helped you because this meeting never happened, okay?”

“Meeting? What meeting?” Ella answered. She tried to smile, but it stung her cheek and she winced.

Moments later she was on her way back to the hospital to return Carolyn’s car. As she drove down the highway, she telephoned Justine and asked her for an update.

“We recovered a twenty-two shell from the foam at the bottom of the rear window pillar of your unit,” she said. “It’ll probably match the other round we have from the other incident. They’re the same type. The bullet had to have been fired from above at really close range to even penetrate the glass. Any angle except dead on and it would have most likely bounced off. We also have vehicle tracks and shoe prints. Whoever is after you was wearing jogging shoes, not boots.”

“Hey, that’s something, considering boots are the order of the day on the Rez, but it still doesn’t really narrow it down.”

“I know. From the depth of the footprints and his stride, we figure he’s five feet six or seven, and weighs about one-forty. Also his vehicle was a pickup based upon the tire size. That’s all we have right now. We were hoping to find a wad of gum or cigarette butt so we can have DNA to compare to a suspect eventually, but no luck so far.”

“No shell casing?”

“No. He must have picked it up or the shell wasn’t ejected if it was a bolt-action rifle. We searched a fifty-foot radius.”

“There are some residential areas around there and someone might have heard or seen something. Talk to everyone you can, and then go to the gasoline station on the highway
about a quarter of a mile from the scene and talk to the clerk there.”

“We’ll take care of it. By the way, your vehicle was towed to the police garage. Larry said he’d have to get you another vehicle because requisitioning funds for a new windshield would take forever.”

“I’ll hitch a ride over there with Carolyn later.”

“Good luck. By the way, expect Larry to talk your ear off. He’s very upset that he hasn’t been able to get the funds to service the units that need it, and he’s already griped to me about the way you go through tires. I gather from talking to him that the department’s replacement vehicles are not in great shape, so the bottom line is that I don’t think you’ll have much of a selection.”

“I’ll take whatever I can get.”

“If it turns out to be inadequate, I’ll trade you my unit until they get the windshield replaced on yours.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. And thanks.”

Ella drove back to the community medical center. Parking near the side door, she took the elevator downstairs and found Carolyn in her office adjacent to the morgue going over paperwork.

“Thanks for the car,” Ella said, flipping the keys back to her. “Do you have time to talk?”

“Of course.”

Ella told her about the life insurance policy she was planning on taking out. “It’ll cost an arm and a leg, but I need to do this for Dawn and for my own peace of mine.”

“Do you have the health form they require for the physical?”

Ella reached into her shirt pocket and handed it to Carolyn.

“It’s fairly straightforward. Let me give you a physical and get some basics, and then you’ll be all set.”

After twenty-five minutes Carolyn handed Ella the signed form. “Thanks, old friend,” Ella said. “Now how about I buy you a late lunch in return for this and the ride you’ll be giving me to the police department’s garage afterward.”

Carolyn smiled. “Pushy aren’t you? But I can be bribed with food. All I’ve had since breakfast are candy bars and Cokes.”

Ella looked at her friend. Carolyn was a large woman but she was comfortable with her size. She made no pretensions about dieting nor did she worry about her weight. She was who she was and others could either accept it or not. Her attitude and self-acceptance alone commanded the respect she deserved.

“Any particular place you want to eat?” Carolyn added.

“You pick,” Ella said.

“Hey, that’s dangerous. You buying, me eating.”

“Not a problem.” Ella grinned.

“It’ll have to be off the Rez. You know how people who know what I do for a living feel about me around here.” She paused, then added, “And come to think of it, it won’t do you much good to be seen with me under the circumstances.”

“You’ve heard about the news of my death being greatly exaggerated?”

Carolyn nodded. “Oh, yeah.”

“Maybe Mom will be able to track down John Tso for me and hurry him up a bit. At least he knows I’m looking for him now. I’m not expecting a miracle, but I’m hoping that once people find out I’ve scheduled the Sing, things will get just a little easier for me.”

“Wishful thinking,” Carolyn said, shaking her head. “The dust won’t even begin to settle until long after that Sing is done.”

“It’s going to be tough to schedule an entire week off for something like that. But I haven’t got a choice. A lot of people
won’t talk to me at all now, and I think it’s starting to get to me a little.”

“Welcome to
my
world,” Carolyn said as they got under way.

Ella felt her gut tighten as she thought about what her friend went through on a daily basis. Although her job was crucial, it had made her a pariah with the tribe. No Sing would ever gain her The People’s acceptance. Many of the modernists, who by all accounts shouldn’t have minded, were creeped out by what she did, and the traditionalists and new traditionalists avoided her like the plague.

Before long, Ella realized that Carolyn was driving to her own home. “Hey, I told you
I’d
treat.”

“I thought of picking out a restaurant, but I have something even better in mind. I baked a chocolate torte last night that’s to die for and we had a huge roast that’s going to make terrific sandwiches. It’ll be the best lunch around for miles. I guarantee it.”

“Well, in that case, by all means, the Chez Roanhorse-Lavery it is,” Ella teased.

As they pulled up to Carolyn’s modest home in Fruitland, an old farming community in the river valley east of Shiprock and north of the Rez, Ella saw a large sedan parked in the driveway.

“I didn’t realize Michael would be home,” Carolyn said in a guarded tone.

Curious as to the reason for her friend’s abrupt change of mood, Ella glanced at her friend, but her expression revealed nothing.

A moment later they went inside and Carolyn led the way into the living room. Oversized leather furniture, a kiva fire-place, and Navajo rugs gave the place a homey, comfortable feel.

Michael Lavery, Carolyn’s husband, came out into the
hall and, seeing them, stopped in midstride. “Oh—I’m sorry. Did I interrupt?”

“Not at all,” Carolyn said. “I was going to treat Ella to lunch. Why don’t you join us?”

He shook his head. “I’m just leaving. There are some brochures I want to pick up at the travel agent’s.”

Carolyn’s features tightened, and she pursed her lips. “Fine,” she said coldly.

Ella felt the tension between them clearly as Michael nodded to Ella, then went out the front door without looking at Carolyn directly.

Avoiding Ella’s gaze now, Carolyn went into the kitchen and began fixing sandwiches on French bread. “I made the French bread in the new bread maker. It’s really good,” she said, bringing plates with thick sandwiches to the table.

“I’m impressed,” Ella said, taking a bite of the sandwich Carolyn placed in front of her. It was wonderful, the homemade bread giving it that special touch. But Ella knew that Carolyn seldom went on cooking binges unless something was bothering her.

“So what’s new?” Ella asked softly.

“I’ll tell you after the chocolate torte.”

“Chocolate, the closest science has come to a happy pill,” Ella teased.

“You bet. And there’s medical data to support your conclusion,” she added with a twinkle in her eye.

After they finished their sandwiches Carolyn brought out the torte. “This is to die for. Or is that phrase in bad taste right now.”

They both laughed at the same time.

Ella tasted the gooey chocolate center and rich cake. “You outdid yourself with this one. I wish I could cook like this, but everything I make ends up crying out for a biohazard sticker.”

Carolyn laughed. “I’ve tasted your cooking. The only reason you have problems is because you’re never totally focused on the process. You get sidetracked too easily.”

She shrugged. “Mom’s a great cook and I hate competitions I can’t win,” Ella answered with a wry smile. “Her cooking really has spoiled my brother and me. Clifford got lucky when he married Loretta, who, in spite of her crabby attitude, is a very good cook. Like it is with Mom, there’s very little she can’t fix well . . . though lately, I have to say, she’s seldom at home.”

“I imagine now that she’s working it’s hard for her to be in both places at once.”

“Working? I haven’t heard about this. Loretta’s got a job somewhere?”

“Sure. She’s an executive assistant over at the college. I was there giving a lecture on forensics and I ran into her. I assumed you all knew about that. Have I let the cat out of the bag?”

“I have no idea,” Ella said, considering what Carolyn had said. “But I just can’t imagine Clifford approving of this. I wonder if he even knows where she is half the time these days, now that Julian is in school. My brother gets so busy with his patients sometimes he loses track of everything else.”

“Marriages are tricky things, Ella. People either learn to adapt or they split up. Those are really the only two alternatives,” Carolyn said somberly.

Ella looked at Carolyn. “That sounds ominous. Are
you
okay?”

Carolyn didn’t reply for several moments. “Michael has been offered a grant to teach an introductory course in forensics at a university in Hawaii. He grew up in Honolulu but he hasn’t been home, except for a few days at a time, in twenty-five years. He really wants to accept the offer and is pressuring me to go with him. But that’ll mean being away
for five months—maybe more. I can’t do that, I’m needed here. The most I can see is going back and forth as often as I can, maybe a weekend a month.”

Ella nodded. “Is there any way you might be able to take a leave of absence?”